Snap clasp



Jan. 1, 1952 GAUPP 2,580,907

SNAP CLASP Filed Sept. 7, 1946 Patented Jan. 1, 1952 4 SNAP CLASP H I"kiiifosii pitiatlew oa,Nam, assi n-(immensi- Chain'0orporation, aq'iorp oration :o'f Netv liifilication September 7, 1946,-.SerialNo.-695,378

I'he '5 present invention relates :to the vjsjewe'lry art,.;and hasparticular referenceeto a novel construction for a snap claspifor linkbraclets arid chains. I

The principalobiect'oftlieinvention is to provide a snap clasp for linkbracelets and-chains which-isreadily -opened topermit-separation of thebracelet or chain ends, but which cannot inadvertently or accidentallyopen during use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a snap clasp which has amultiple lock arrangement for receiving the free end of a bracelet orchain.

Still another object is to provide a snap clasp made of a small numberof stamped metal parts which are readily assembled together.

With the above and other objects and .advantageous features in view, theinvention consists of a novel arrangement of parts more fully disclosedin the detailed description following, in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, and more specifically defined in the claimappended thereto.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an illustrative clasp embodying thenovel construction, the parts being in open position;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, the parts being in closed position;

Fig. 3 is a central vertical section through Fig. 1; and I Fig. 4 is a,similar section through Fig. 2.

It has been found desirable to provide a snap clasp for link braceletsand chains which cannot inadvertently or accidentally release thebracelet or chain ends. To this end, I provide a base made of a metalstamping which is slotted or out to have a forward and a rear linkreceiving recess, an inner closure plate being hinged to the forwardportion of the base and seating within the base to releasably lock thefree end of the bracelet or chain in the forward recess. The other endof the bracelet or chain is received in the rear recess, and ispermanently locked therein by a lock plate which is secured to the baseand extends over the rear recess to' close it. A cover plate is hingedto the rear portion of the base and extends over and snap engages theforward end of the inner closure plate, whereby a. permanent lock isprovided for one end of a bracelet or chain and a double releasable lockis provided for the other end of the bracelet or chain.

Referring to the drawings, which are illustrative of the invention, thesnap clasp l comprises Mor an. (01. 24-=241 J a' b'as'e wliich bott6niwall" |2 a;nd tfwo' upstanding side walls -|3, M, the rair nd Wilt thebotto'm w-all leeing -cur-le'd to foim an end hinge -'|-5 'The sid'ewalls 1'3, 14 qiave aligned rcrward' pcrticns i |-6, l which function aspivot tans, aligne'd slots 1 8, 1'9 which form a forward recess forreceiving th'e end link o'f tlie fre'e end of a bracelet or chain,upright portions 2|, 22 which form a seat for a cover as hereinafterdescribed, and aligned slots or cut-aways 23, 24 at the rear ends whichform a rear recess 25 into which the end link of the other end of thebracelet or chain is received.

An inner closure plate 26 is pivotally mounted at the forward end of thebase, the rear end of the inner closure plate being curled to form ahinge 21 which seats on a pivot pin 28 secured in the side wall portionsl6, H; the closure plate has edge lugs 29, 30 which frictionally seatbetween the side walls l3, M to releasably lock the free end of abracelet or chain in the forward recess 20, a finger engageable lip 3|,see Fig. 4, being provided at the forward end of the inner closure plateto facilitate opening and closing. An auxiliary lock plate 32 is mountedin the base and has a flat portion 33 adapted to be permanently securedto the bottom wall |2 be tween the side wall portions 2|, 22 and anupwardly extending arcuate rear portion 34 which extends towards the endhinge l5 to permanently cover and close the rear recess 25 after the endlink of the other end of the bracelet or chain is seated therein.

The upper portion of the base is closed by a cover 35, of generally boxtype, which has two side lugs 36, 31 depending from the rear end to seaton a pivot pin 38 which extends through the rear hinge l5, and dependingsides 39, 40 which contact the upper edges of the side wall portions 2|,22 as illustrated in Fig. 2 to form a closed housing with the base, theforward end of the cover having a depending panel 4| which resilientlysnap engages the hinge 21 of the inner closure plate, see Fig. 4, whenthe closure plate is in closed position, a finger engageable tab 42being provided in the panel 4| to facilitate opening of the cover plate.

All the parts are preferably made of stamped metal, although anysuitable material may be used, and the assembly is simple andinexpensive. The construction provides a double lock for the free end ofthe bracelet or chain, as the cover must be opened and the inner closureplate must then be lifted to permit release. Further, the

inner closure plate is entirely housed within the base and its fingerengageable end is at the rear adjacent the cover hinge, whereby theinner closure plate cannot be inadvertently or accidentally opened.

Although I have described a specific constructional embodiment of myinvention which is particularly suitable for connecting the ends of linkbracelets and link chains, it is obvious that the novel snap clasp maybe used to releasably con nect other articles, such as necklaces, beltsand the like, and that the size and the relative proportions andarrangement of the parts may be changed to meet the requirements fordifierent uses, without departing from the spirit and the scope of theinvention as defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

A snap clasp, comprising a base having abottom wall and side walls, theside walls having aligned pivot tab forward portions and aligned slotsforming a forward recess, and the bottom wall having a curled rear endforming an end hinge, the side walls being spaced from the curled rearend of the bottom wall to provide a rear recess, a lock plate fixed tothe base between the side walls and having an upstanding arcuate rearportion adapted to extend over the rear recess after one end link of a.bracelet is positioned therein, an inner closure plate hingedly securedto the side wall pivot tab forward portions and movable to frictionallyseat between the side walls and extend over the front recess after theother end link of the bracelet is positioned therein, and a cover hingedto the bottom wall curled rear end-and adapted to snap lock over theinner closure plate.

KURT GAUPP.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,814,475 Kestenman July 14, 19311,991,287 Martin Feb. 12, 1935 2,044,869 Alkin June 23, 1936 2,086,450Tost July 6,1937 2,211,018 Levine Aug. 13, 1940 2,220,642 Gerst'enblithNov. 5, 1940 V FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 698,192 France Jan.28, 1931

